Cartridge magazine and latch construction for repeating firearms



Get. 9, 1956 w. F. ROPER ET AL CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE AND LATCH CONSTRUCTION FOR REPEATING FIREARMS Filed Aug. 25, 1953 R S mMWW mfiwd m m J x Km R Y Z 1.5 mm

CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE AND LATCH CON- STRUCTION FOR REPEATING FIREARMS Walter F. Roper, Longmeadow, and Frederick J. Wright,

Springfield, Mass., assignors to Savage Arms Corporation, Utica, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 25, 1953, Serial No. 376,346

2 Claims. (CI. 42-18) This invention relates to repeating firearms of the type adapted to be loaded from a box type magazine and more particularly is directed to the mounting mechanism for assembly of the magazine at the underside of the receiver and for the latching of the same thereto.

An object of the invention is to provide novel magazine latch retaining structure in which the latching member is engaged by the magazine only during the final period of travel thereof to latched position so that the magazine may be readily and easily inserted in the assembly and particularly without the necessity of applying pressure against the latch to provide clearance for the initial mounting movement towards assembled position.

Another object is to provide in combination with the particular form of magazine latch engaging structure a novel arrangement of supporting structure for the magazine retainer plate and for the latch member at the rear edge of the magazine port.

Reference is herein made to our copending applications Serial No. 332,632, filed January 22, 1953, for Receiver Recoil Plate Construction For Shotguns And The Like and Serial No. 338,048, filed February 20, 1953, for Trigger Mechanism For Bolt action Firearms in which the structure of the present application is'substantially disclosed.

Still further objects and advantages will appear from the following description of a preferred form of the invention as shown by the annexed drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a stamped blank of sheet metal from which a magazine clip may be formed, the fold lines of the blank being indicated by dot-dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a rear edge view of an assembled magazine clip;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof with parts cut away and showing a spring and follower arrangement;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in section .of the magazine clip latched into position on the retainer plate assembly of a firearm;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with parts cut away to show a pair of shells loaded in the clip'and with the clip partially inserted towards latching position on the magazine retainer guide; and

Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 4.

In the example of the drawings the magazine 1 is shown (Fig. 4) mounted in latched position at the underside of a receiver 2 of a bolt action repeating shotgun. The forward portion of the stock of the firearm is partially indicated at 3 with a take-down screw 4 threaded into a dovetail 5 of the receiver to hold the receiver and barrel clamped to the stock. A loading port opening at the underside of the receiver is at 6 and the stock 3 is vertically slotted to provide a magazine receiving recess 7 for access to the port 6.

At the rear of the slotted recess 7 is a trigger housing, generally indicated by the numeral 8, and comprising closely spaced parallel Wall plates 9 mounted in fixed relation to the underside of the receiver as by welding the same thereto. As disclosed in the aforesaid application nited States Patent Serial No. 338,048 trigger mechanism (not shown herein) may be conveniently mounted between the walls 9 and at the front end of walls 9 is mounted a T-shaped magazine retainer plate. The leg 10 of the T (Fig. 6) is fixed between the front edges of walls 9 and the transverse cross-head 11 extends laterally to each side of the housing 8 adjacent the rear edge of the receiver loading aperture 6 and in depending relation thereto. The cross head 11 serves to provide retainer guide rail means for slidable relation with the magazine to be assembled thereon.

Also mounted on the walls 9 is the latch member indicated generally by the numeral 12 and cooperating with the magazine as will be described.

From Figs. 1 to 3 it will be seen that the magazine is preferably formed from a single blank 13 (Fig. 1) of sheet metal in the stamping of which are formed side walls 14, connected by a front Wall 15. Side walls 14 are provided with retaining flange extensions 16 at the rear edge portions thereof and bottom wall extensions 17 at the lower edges. Dot-dash lines at 18 define the 7 fold lines along which the sections of the blank are bent to form the clip or magazine assembly 1 of Figs. 2 and 3.

At 19 indented ribs are stamped to give added rigidity to the side wall panels and dimples 20 are inwardly pressed adjacent the front of the walls 14 to form upper stop limits for the follower element 29 (see Fig. 3). At 21 cartridge rim flanges are formed at the top rear edge with rim cut-outs at 22 for release of the cartridges from the magazine in the usual manner.

The openings 23 spaced from the rear edges of the side walls are provided to receive eared portions 24 of a rear wall plate 25 as shown by Figs. 2 and 3. At the top of the wall plate 25 at each side ears 26 are cut and bent forwardly to hold the rim of the topmost cartridge in the magazine forwardly of the adjacent lower cartridge rim. Thus, as will be understood from Fig. 5, ears 26 prevent the upper rim from interlocking back of the lower rim and impeding the release of the upper cartridge when the bolt face engages the rim in the conventional manner for loading the chamber.

Also on the rear wall plate 26 is a latch engaging catch member formed from a cut-out portion at 27 and providing a rearwardly projecting upset piece as the spur at 2 8. Spur 28 as will be noted from Fig. 2 is centrally located in the lower section of plate 26 between the inwardly directed flanges 16 of the side wall extensions.

The magazine clip assembly (see Fig. 3) is completed by the follower 29 upwardly urged by a W-shaped spring 30 seated on the lower leg of the L-shaped leaf spring 31. At 32 ribbing is provided in the lower portion of the side walls to form a finger grip for drawing the magazine from the latched position of Fig. 4 whenever the latch is released as will be readily appreciated.

Latch 12 (Figs. 4, 5, and 6) is a pivoted U-shaped member with the base thereof having limited movement longitudinally of the receiver. Mounted rearwardly of the cross head plate 11 legs 33 of the latch are pivoted at the top thereof on a pin 34 suitably fixed between the walls 9 as by spring retainer clips 35 fastened at each end. The base or foot 36 of the latch connecting the legs 33 is rearwardly extended as a finger piece for manipulating the same. A forward latching extension is provided as the offset toe piece at 37. The toe piece is upwardly angled at the tip (Fig. 5) so as to form a cam surface on its underside and a hooked tip on its upper surface to engage the spur 28. It is to be noted that pivotal swing of the latch is permitted in a slotted recess at 38 (Fig. 6) of the stock 3, the lower surface of stock 3 having a facing plate as indicated at 39 formed with openings registering with the recesses of the stock. The latch is yieldably pressed forwardly on its pivot by a U-shaped grooves accurately with the plate. featureaffords convenience in mounting the magazine wire spring 40, the free ends 41 ofthe spring being keyed in openings 42 of the walls 9 and the arms 33 being wound around the pivot pin 34 and joined below walls 9 across the rear edges of the legs 33 of the latch. The forward limit of latch travel is an abutting position against the retainer plate with the forward edges of the legs resting against the lower rear edges of the laterally extending portions of the cross head 11.

As shown by Figs. 4 and 5 the forward abutting position of the legs 33 brings the end of the toe in'ap the lower edge of said retainer plate, said toe piece at i having a forwardly and upwardly angled toe 7 piece, a, 1 spring carried by said housing plates and yieldably urging said latch member-forwardly into abutting relation against the limit of forward movement extending under said lower edge to, lie with the tip thereof approximately in the same plane as the forward face ofrtheretainer, plate 1 and centrally between said rail portions, a magazine of proximate planar relation with the front face of the retainer plate or cross head 11.

may he slid onto the retainer plate 11 directly and without exerting pressure on the latch spring to initially register the guide rail means withthe grooves. The relative position of the parts, suchas shown by Fig. 5, may thus be assumed without encountering resistance from the wardly,

The position of cartridges 43 in the'magazine is shown by Fig. 5 wherein the top cartridge is'shown with its rim 44- set forwardly by reason of the forwardly'projecting ears 26 at the top of the rear wall 25. Thus the rim of altopmost cartridge cannot become interlockedbehind I the rim of the lower cartridge; a

I It will be noted fromFigs. 4to 6 that the lower opening of the slotted recess 7 of the stock extends below the retainer plate 11 so that the initial insertion of the top portion of a magazine clip is made before engaging the retainer plate in the shouldered grooves. The magazine when thus thrust into the opening of the slot requires Thus in mounting the magazine into assembled position, the shouldered grooves formed by the turned extensions 16 offset from rear wall a being disposed substantially in the plane of the forward i but a general guiding movement only to register the This self-locating which then rides freely up to latching position where the spur 28 is engaged with toe 37.

What is claimed is:

1. In a repeating firearm having a receiver with an opening at the underside thereof adapted to receive a magazine of the box type, a magazine and mounting structure therefor comprising a pair of closely spaced supporting trigger housing plates extending longitudinally in depending relation rearwardly of said opening and having at the front edges thereof a retainer plate, T-shaped in cross section, with the leg of the T fixed between said support plates and the sides of the cross head of the T forming laterally disposed guide rail portions for said magazine at the rear edge of said receiver opening, a U- shaped latch member pivotally mounted rearwardly of the retainer plate on the walls of said supporting plates and hanging therefrom with the foot of the latch member the box type having the side walls thereof extended rearwardly'of the magazinercar Wall with inwardly directed I flan es in opposed spaced relation to form oppositely facing shouldered, grooves at the rear of the magazine, I said rear wall in the lower portion thereof being formed with a reaiwardly directed spur upset therefrom centrally between said opposed grooves, said inwardly directed shouldered flanges having a spacing therebetween of greater dimension than the width of said latch member, whereby the guide rail portions of the retainer plate may be inserted directly into the grooves at the rear of the magazine and said latch provides yieldable resistance to sliding movement only adjacent a final seated position of the magazine as said spur engages said toe piece to pass upwardly thereof for supporting relation of the magazine in the assembly.

2. In a repeating firearm having a receiver with an opening at the underside thereof adapted to receive in depending relation thereto a magazineof the box type, a magazine andrnounting structure therefor comprising spaced plates forming a trigger housing and having a forward end plate with laterally extending flanged portions forming vertical guide rail means lying in depending rela tion at the rear end edge of said receiver opening, a magazinelatch mernberpivoted at its upperend, rearwardly of said end plate and extending to lie with its lower end underlying the trigger housing, said lower end having a central forwardly extending toe piece with an upwardly angled tip in a forwardly pivotedlposition of the latch face of said end plateand in adjacent position below the same, said latch having yieldable means urging the same i torts said forward position withsaid lower end of the latch.

being exposed for manually pivoting the latch rearwardly to carry said toe piece reaiwardly of said end plate, and a box type magazine having the side walls thereof extending rearwardly of the magazine rear wall and inwardly flanged to form grooves for receiving said laterally flanged rail portions of the end plate, the magazine rear wall having a centrally disposed rearwardly extending spur in the lower portion thereof engageable with said latch tip adjacent a final seating position of said magazine on the end plate, the spur in a seated position resting on said tip and releasably holding the magazine in the assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Swebilius Mar. 27, 1945 

